Legjoints

Tuk tuks are called tuk tuks because of the sound tuk tuk drivers make when trying to attract the attention of farangs.

People sitting separately watching TV. It’s been raining all day. The crickets are loud tonight. Like they’ve been woken up.

In a cafe in Hua Lapong train station, Bangkok, waiting for a train down to Surat Thani, then catching the boat over to Ko Pangnan. I’m drinking the first real coffee I’ve had since I’ve been in Thailand. An espresso. (Although yesterday I did have a cappucino, but they seemed to make it without putting …

A quiet middle aged Aussie and a loud young American argue about Iraq. Guess which one is pro-war? I’m in a cafe on Soi Rambutri, the older and more sedate version of Khaosan Road, the main touristy area. Just been on the internet. The web server’s down – the one that hosts mine and a …

I’ve checked into a new hotel, part of the Sawasdee (Sawasdee = hello) chain, Thailand’s McHotels (or McHotles as they spell it on one of the signs here). Cheap and basic. But they serve much better food than McDonalds. I’m sitting in the open air cafe, having just had their 49 Baht Thai Fast Food …

I’ve spent a day going down to the station and back again on the river taxi. Doing things like this seems to take a long time here. I’m not sure why it’s taken me the whole day but it has. The highlight of the day so far: I saw a monk in orange robes smoking …

Sitting in a cafe on the Khao San Road, the main tourist area of Bangkok. Like Carnaby Street in London. The place you go to get ripped off, except here things are so cheap it doesn’t matter. I’ve just paid 60 Baht (less than £1) for a plate of fried rice with chicken and vegetables, …

I arrived at 12:30am the night before last after an eighteen hour flight (or maybe more) from Vancouver, with a brief stopover in Beijing. It was a miracle that the bike and my paniers arrived safely since I hadn’t packed them very well. The bike box was fastening with tape which I noticed was broken …

3am local time. I’ve assembled the bike and I’m sitting outside the terminal building in a t-shirt. They reported the temperature as 25 degrees when we landed. It must still be at least 20. I have a headache. I wasn’t able to drink any water at Beijing airport, and on the place when I asked …

Two hours to wait before the flight onto Bangkok. Unable to leave the airport. Watching Chinese TV. They were showing English Premiership football, but now it’s the news. A chinese leader in a suit meeting with what looks like Evo Morales, the new Bolivain president, dressed in his casual Saturday afternoon clothes. He looks bored, …